Quotes by Historian | Beyond Motive 4/35

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Quotes by Historian

"The danger is not that a particular class is unfit to govern: every class is unfit to govern."

"The danger is not that a particular class is unfit to govern: every class is unfit to govern."

Lord Acton, British Historian

Government, Class, Danger

31

"To be able to look back upon one's past life with satisfaction is to live twice."

"To be able to look back upon one's past life with satisfaction is to live twice."

Lord Acton, British Historian

Life, Past, Satisfaction

31

"The destiny of man is in his own soul."

"The destiny of man is in his own soul."

Herodotus, Greek Historian

Soul, Destiny, Man

31

"The great Chinese classics have always said that it's better not to fight; that the clever man achieves his ends without violence; that a battle delayed is better than a battle fought."

"The great Chinese classics have always said that it's better not to fight; that the clever man achieves his ends without violence; that a battle delayed is better than a battle fought."

John Keegan, English Historian

Battle, Fight, Man, Violence

30

"You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one."

"You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one."

James Anthony Froude, English Historian

Dream, Character

30

"It would not be possible to praises nurses too highly."

"It would not be possible to praises nurses too highly."

Stephen Ambrose, American Historian

30

"Every science begins as philosophy and ends as art."

"Every science begins as philosophy and ends as art."

Will Durant, American Historian

Art, Science, Philosophy

30

"Valor is of no service, chance rules all, and the bravest often fall by the hands of cowards."

"Valor is of no service, chance rules all, and the bravest often fall by the hands of cowards."

Tacitus, Roman Historian

Chance, Cowards, Rules, Service

30

"Expansion means complexity and complexity decay."

"Expansion means complexity and complexity decay."

C. Northcote Parkinson, British Historian

30

"Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

"Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

Lord Acton, British Historian

30

"The sword - the first, for a time the only force: the force of iron."

"The sword - the first, for a time the only force: the force of iron."

John Lothrop Motley, American Historian

Time, First, Force

30

"Toil and pleasure, dissimilar in nature, are nevertheless united by a certain natural bond."

"Toil and pleasure, dissimilar in nature, are nevertheless united by a certain natural bond."

Titus Livius, Roman Historian

Nature, Pleasure, United

30

"The history of the Franks becomes, therefore, the history of the Netherlands."

"The history of the Franks becomes, therefore, the history of the Netherlands."

John Lothrop Motley, American Historian

30

"There is a spell in mediaeval Art which has had power to bewitch some people into trying, or wishing to try, or fancying that they wish to try or making believe to fancy that they wish to try, to bring back the Middle Ages."

"There is a spell in mediaeval Art which has had power to bewitch some people into trying, or wishing to try, or fancying that they wish to try or making believe to fancy that they wish to try, to bring back the Middle Ages."

Goldwin Smith, Canadian Historian

Art, Power, People, Fancy

30

"The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play."

"The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play."

Arnold J. Toynbee, British Historian

Work, Accomplishment, Play

30

"The great men of power who seek to change the nations they belong to usually are pretty terrible people."

"The great men of power who seek to change the nations they belong to usually are pretty terrible people."

John Keegan, English Historian

Change, Men, Power, People

30

"Our New England climate is mild and equable compared with that of the Platte."

"Our New England climate is mild and equable compared with that of the Platte."

Francis Parkman, American Historian

Climate, England

30

"The American President resembles the commander of a ship at sea. He must have a helm to grasp, a course to steer, a port to seek."

"The American President resembles the commander of a ship at sea. He must have a helm to grasp, a course to steer, a port to seek."

Henry B. Adams, American Historian

Leadership, President, Sea

30

"Reform, that we may preserve."

"Reform, that we may preserve."

Thomas B. Macaulay, English Historian

30

"Many attempts had been made by colonial legislatures to cut off or to tax the importation of slaves."

"Many attempts had been made by colonial legislatures to cut off or to tax the importation of slaves."

Albert Bushnell Hart, American Historian

29

"Is boredom anything less than the sense of one's faculties slowly dying?"

"Is boredom anything less than the sense of one's faculties slowly dying?"

Arthur Helps, British Historian

Boredom, Dying, Sense

29

"The materials of the novelist must be real; they must be gathered from the field of humanity by his actual observation."

"The materials of the novelist must be real; they must be gathered from the field of humanity by his actual observation."

Goldwin Smith, Canadian Historian

Humanity, Observation

29

"A third force, developing itself more slowly, becomes even more potent than the rest: the power of gold."

"A third force, developing itself more slowly, becomes even more potent than the rest: the power of gold."

John Lothrop Motley, American Historian

Power, Force, Gold

29

"The sea hath fish for every man."

"The sea hath fish for every man."

William Camden, English Historian

Openness, Fish, Man, Sea

29

"In Gaul were two orders, the nobility and the priesthood, while the people, says Caesar, were all slaves."

"In Gaul were two orders, the nobility and the priesthood, while the people, says Caesar, were all slaves."

John Lothrop Motley, American Historian

People, Nobility

29

"There is no error so monstrous that it fails to find defenders among the ablest men."

"There is no error so monstrous that it fails to find defenders among the ablest men."

Lord Acton, British Historian

Man, Men, Error

29

"I can not think of any circumstances in which advertising would not be an evil."

"I can not think of any circumstances in which advertising would not be an evil."

Arnold J. Toynbee, British Historian

Advertising, Circumstances, Evil

29

"The courage of a soldier is found to be the cheapest and most common quality of human nature."

"The courage of a soldier is found to be the cheapest and most common quality of human nature."

Edward Gibbon, English Historian

Nature, Quality, Courage, Humannature

29

"Often, what you see in the media is driven by economic forces."

"Often, what you see in the media is driven by economic forces."

Iris Chang, Chinese Historian

29

"Prison continues, on those who are entrusted to it, a work begun elsewhere, which the whole of society pursues on each individual through innumerable mechanisms of discipline."

"Prison continues, on those who are entrusted to it, a work begun elsewhere, which the whole of society pursues on each individual through innumerable mechanisms of discipline."

Michel Foucault, French Historian

Society, Work, Discipline, Prison

29

"This means that to man God gave a degree of free will."

"This means that to man God gave a degree of free will."

Kenneth Scott Latourette, American Historian

God, Freewill, Man

29

"I do not believe that civilizations have to die because civilization is not an organism. It is a product of wills."

"I do not believe that civilizations have to die because civilization is not an organism. It is a product of wills."

Arnold J. Toynbee, British Historian

29

"Liberty is the condition of duty, the guardian of conscience. It grows as conscience grows. The domains of both grow together. Liberty is safety from all hindrances, even sin. So that Liberty ends by being Free Will."

"Liberty is the condition of duty, the guardian of conscience. It grows as conscience grows. The domains of both grow together. Liberty is safety from all hindrances, even sin. So that Liberty ends by being Free Will."

John Acton, English Historian

Being, Conscience, Duty, Freewill

29

"The firmest friendship is based on an identity of likes and dislikes."

"The firmest friendship is based on an identity of likes and dislikes."

Sallust, Roman Historian

Friendship, Identity

29

"Crossing the Penobscot, one found a visible descent in the scale of humanity."

"Crossing the Penobscot, one found a visible descent in the scale of humanity."

Francis Parkman, American Historian

29

"The attempt to redefine the family as a purely voluntary arrangement grows out of the modern delusion that people can keep all their options open all the time."

"The attempt to redefine the family as a purely voluntary arrangement grows out of the modern delusion that people can keep all their options open all the time."

Christopher Lasch, American Historian

Family, Time, People, Delusion

29

"The human race's prospects of survival were considerably better when we were defenceless against tigers than they are today when we have become defenceless against ourselves."

"The human race's prospects of survival were considerably better when we were defenceless against tigers than they are today when we have become defenceless against ourselves."

Arnold J. Toynbee, British Historian

Survival, Race, Today

29

"The man who prefers his country before any other duty shows the same spirit as the man who surrenders every right to the state. They both deny that right is superior to authority."

"The man who prefers his country before any other duty shows the same spirit as the man who surrenders every right to the state. They both deny that right is superior to authority."

Lord Acton, British Historian

Authority, Country, Duty, Man

29

"I would I could stand on a busy corner, hat in hand, and beg people to throw me all their wasted hours."

"I would I could stand on a busy corner, hat in hand, and beg people to throw me all their wasted hours."

Bernard Berenson, American Historian

28

"Susceptibility to the highest forces is the highest genius."

"Susceptibility to the highest forces is the highest genius."

Henry B. Adams, American Historian

28

"The first duty of an historian is to be on guard against his own sympathies."

"The first duty of an historian is to be on guard against his own sympathies."

James Anthony Froude, English Historian

28

"Ancient metaphysics underwent many changes at the hands of medieval thinkers who brought it in line with the dominant religious and theological movements of their day."

"Ancient metaphysics underwent many changes at the hands of medieval thinkers who brought it in line with the dominant religious and theological movements of their day."

Wilhelm Dilthey, German Historian

Philosophy, Day, Metaphysics, Religious

28

"Every historian has informally an anthropology, without ever using the word."

"Every historian has informally an anthropology, without ever using the word."

Peter Gay, American Historian

Research, Anthropology, Word

28

"Men are slower to recognize blessings than misfortunes."

"Men are slower to recognize blessings than misfortunes."

Titus Livius, Roman Historian

Man, Men, Blessings

28

"In its function, the power to punish is not essentially different from that of curing or educating."

"In its function, the power to punish is not essentially different from that of curing or educating."

Michel Foucault, French Historian

28

"The true call of a Christian is not to do extraordinary things, but to do ordinary things in an extraordinary way."

"The true call of a Christian is not to do extraordinary things, but to do ordinary things in an extraordinary way."

Dean Stanley, British Historian

28

"Who can doubt that between the English and the French, between the Scotch and the Irish, there are differences of character which have profoundly affected and still affect the course of history?"

"Who can doubt that between the English and the French, between the Scotch and the Irish, there are differences of character which have profoundly affected and still affect the course of history?"

Goldwin Smith, Canadian Historian

History, Character, Doubt, English

28

"Every one who has a heart, however ignorant of architecture he may be, feels the transcendent beauty and poetry of the mediaeval churches."

"Every one who has a heart, however ignorant of architecture he may be, feels the transcendent beauty and poetry of the mediaeval churches."

Goldwin Smith, Canadian Historian

Architecture, Beauty, Poetry, Heart

28

"Distinguished ancestors shed a powerful light on their descendants, and forbid the concealment either of their merits or of their demerits."

"Distinguished ancestors shed a powerful light on their descendants, and forbid the concealment either of their merits or of their demerits."

Sallust, Roman Historian

28

"The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws."

"The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws."

Tacitus, Roman Historian

Law, Laws, State

28

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